info@stlawrenceshakespeare.ca www.stlawrenceshakespeare.ca Tel: 613 925 5788

Ian Farthing, Artistic Director

Welcome to our winter 2008 edition of The Crier, our occasional newsletter keeping you informed about what’s going on at the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival!

Our 2008 season saw an increase in attendance of 12%, a wonderful testament to the quality of the shows being presented, especially gratifying given that nearly 40% of our shows this summer were affected by poor weather.

We are grateful to our faithful supporters, such as yourself, who know that our shows are worth coming to see, rain or shine!

Thank you!

2009 Sunday Series

19 July, 2pm Much Ado About Nothing Presented by A Company of Fools 26 July, 2pm The Merry Wives of Prescott A reading of a new play by John Lazarus 2 August, 2pm Revelers Showcase 10 August, 2pm An Afternoon of Sonnets

T I C K E T I N FO RMAT I ON FOR 2 00 9T I C K E T I N FO RMAT I ON FOR 2 00 9T I C K E T I N FO RMAT I ON FOR 2 00 9T I C K E T I N FO RMAT I ON FOR 2 00 9

Our 2009 Season

11 July - 15 August

Tuesday - Saturday 7pm

Saturday matinee 2pm

at the Kinsmen Amphitheatre

Sandra S. Lawn Harbour

Prescott, Ontario

Adults Seniors (60+)

Students (Youth 13 and over; College and University Students)

Children (12 and under)

Sunday Series Prescott Preview (July 10 and July 14) Special discount for Prescott Residents upon presentation of ID

SEASON PASS Great value! See the shows as many times as you like!

Winter 2008

$22 $18 $16 FREE $10 $10

$80

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

Until her older sister can be mar-ried off, the beautiful Bianca can-not wed the man of her dreams. But Kate has a tempestuous repu-tation and is not to be trifled with, much less married off. Has the bold Petruchio met his match? Can he tame this particular shrew…? Leading us on this journey through Shakespeare’s archetypal battle of the sexes will be Jan Irwin, one of Ottawa’s most re-spected directors whom we are thrilled to welcome to Prescott for the first time.

MEASURE FOR MEASURE

Politicians who lead a self-righteous campaign against sleaze always run the risk of falling them-selves. Duke Angelo has con-demned Claudio to death for fornication, but when the novice nun Isabella comes to plead for her brother’s life, Duke Angelo is tempted into making an offer that is more scandalous than any of the worst excesses of the sinful city he leads. Craig Walker is returning to the Festival, having successfully di-rected Romeo and Juliet and As You Like It for us in previous years.

Peter van Gestel and Sarah Kitz in last summer’s production of The Merchant of Venice.

Photo: Lynne Chagnon

You’ll be amazed at what we have in store for you in 2009!

info@stlawrenceshakespeare.ca www.stlawrenceshakespeare.ca Tel: 613 925 5788

Leading Lady… the female Hamlet Alix Sideris had been coming to see shows in Prescott for a number of years - many of her friends have appeared on our stage. We asked her what it felt like to be in the cast, playing one of Shakespeare’s largest female roles, rather than sitting in the audience this summer.

“Prescott is a magical place. The river serves as a mesmerizing backdrop, the stars shine above you, you share a story, make people laugh and cry. I love this company and I felt quite honoured to be playing on the same ground as the many productions I have seen over the years. It’s wonderful to look up into the audience where I have sat watching, loving and envying in the most delicious way! And what a thrill for me to discover that the vibe within the com-pany is so embracing, so warm and loving. Ian Farthing gathered up the most incredi-ble ensemble! I have never worked with such a nurturing, positive and generous group of this size and number. And, well, let’s just say this town knows how to throw a party! That opening night gala has raised the bar for me for all future receptions!”

The role of Rosalind in As You Like It is often referred to as the female Hamlet - how did you feel about taking on this particular challenge?

I was beyond thrilled when I found out that I had been cast. I knew I was in for a very growth-inspiring ride! People refer to it as the female Hamlet simply because it is the largest female role in Shakespeare’s canon. She has so much to say, is so quick-witted, lives through such an emotional journey in such a short period of time ... and the lines ... she has oh so, so many lines! What a role! Rosalind lives through incredible sadness, threats of banishment and death, she risks the unknown and the dangerous, she disguises herself as a boy to survive in a potentially threatening environment, she falls in love, works through her incredible abandonment issues, problem solves, disturbs the peace, finds her own courage and strength, and embraces herself and love and happiness and friendship in the end. Now that's a journey. Telling this fantastical tale and going on Rosalind's incredible ride seems to have released me of any expectations or fears. To be honest, I had a ball. The cast was generous. The director, Craig Walker, was a blast. And I was honoured to be tapping into a whole history of Rosalinds out there. A true honour.

How do you balance the roles of a working actor with being a mother?

I am very blessed. I have a gorgeous daughter that makes being a single mom very easy for me and I have a beautiful rela-tionship with my ex - her father - so sharing custody and allowing for one another's schedules is easier for me than I think it is for most folks. She is a theatre child, of that there is no doubt. When she was younger, she would go on tour with me and her father and she'd pretend to help out backstage or arrange my props they way she felt was most effective for me. She would sit in the audience and come running for a hug when I would take my bows. The applause was always thun-derous. I wish she would still do that for me now... I could get used to that kind of appreciation! Now she's doing a whole lot of theatre on her own and was actually cast last season as one of the witches in the NAC production of Mac-beth. I love being a mom! It keeps me from obsessing about myself too much. I have breakfasts, lunches and suppers to prepare... there are life chats and catch-ups and hugs and consolings and celebratings and bed times and energy, energy, energy. Motherhood has provided me with a depth, a level of understanding, forgiveness, and empathy that truly feeds into my work as an artist. I am not one or the other: I am both at all times; and I love that.

After finishing the season in Prescott, Alix has a busy schedule ahead of her. She recently appeared in How the Other Half Loves at the Gladstone Theatre in Ottawa and will be moving on to appear in the National Arts Centre productions of The Ark in November and The Changeling next May.

Alix as Rosalind in As You Like It, with Quincy Armorer as Orlando. Photo: Lynne Chagnon

info@stlawrenceshakespeare.ca www.stlawrenceshakespeare.ca Tel: 613 925 5788

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

News of some of your favourite actors who have been part of the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival...

Since playing the Friar in Romeo and Juliet and Snug the Lion in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in

2007, Tyler Murree has been entertaining audiences in Toronto as part of the cast of Dirty Danc-ing, playing the role of Stan. The show has been so successful that

his original one year contract has been extended. But he misses Prescott. He recently said he wished he could have taken a ten week sabbatical to have been with us again last summer!

Festival favourite Perry Mucci has been per-forming in Prescott since 2003, including such roles as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and Sebas-tian in Twelfth Night. He has been busy pursuing his film and television career, including the upcoming movie Grey Gardens, in which he gets to act opposite Drew Barry-more and Jessica Lange.

Former Artistic Director Deborah Smith appeared in a highly successful production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot in Chicago. 2008

also saw Deb take part in the big production of get-ting married! Congratula-tions to Deb and her new husband, Michael Gellman!

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE… with the sound of Prescott

The Company of the Toronto production of The Sound of Music Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann

The St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival has a strong presence in the cast of the new $11 million production of The Sound of Music, now playing in Toronto.

Artistic Director Ian Farthing is appearing in the production, along with one of our first Revelers, Anwyn Musico. Although they are usually seen in the ensemble (pictured above in

a sumptuous waltz sequence), both are under-studying lead roles in the show. Ian is covering the role of Captain von Trapp, while Anwyn is covering the eldest von Trapp child, Liesl.

While we don’t want to wish any actor ill, we

hope that both Ian and Anwyn will get their chance to shine on the stage of the Princess of Wales theatre!

Any of our donors, volunteers or friends

who come to see The Sound of Music are welcome to receive a personal backstage tour after the show from Ian Farthing. Just let us know when you’ll be there!

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

24 November, 5pm Volunteer Appreciation

Event The Festival would not be such a suc-cess without the hard work of all our

many volunteers. This event is a chance for us to celebrate your achievements.

Held at Prescott Town Hall.

10 December, 4 –6pm Christmas Open House

Kick off the holiday season at our open house reception at the office.

28 January Annual General Meeting

A mix of business and pleasure! Memberships are only $5 and entitle

you to vote at the AGM!

14 February, 6pm 4th Annual Valentine’s Dinner and Auction

A wonderful tradition and a chance to melt away those winter doldrums with

our musical celebration of love and Shakespeare.

Tickets $60 (includes dinner and a $25 tax receipt)

Call 613 925 5788 to book your tickets now!

With the upcoming acquisition of Bell Canada, some shareholders are wondering what to do about the potential tax implications of the sale.

The transaction may result in significant capital gains— a number of government benefits such as Old Age Security, the Guaranteed Income Supple-ment and the Age Credit are income-tested, so the taxable capital gains from the sale of the BCE shares could have a negative effect on shareholders who also receive these benefits.

However, there is a “charitable” tax strategy… These capital gains can often be fully or partially offset through the donation of shares to a registered charity. The Income Tax Act of Canada provides that where a publicly traded security is gifted on an “in-kind” basis to a charitable organization, the capital gains inclusion rate is 0%. This tax strategy can be used for any company shares you may hold.

We invite you to consider making an in-kind gift to the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival, for which you receive a tax receipt for the fair market value of the donated shares (which could be a substantial benefit resulting in a tax refund), but incurs no tax liability as no capital gains income inclu-sion occurs.

For more information, or to discuss the donation of BCE or other shares, please call us and we’d be happy to talk with you more!

SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE

info@stlawrenceshakespeare.ca www.stlawrenceshakespeare.ca Tel: 613 925 5788

Singer Marisa McIntyre getting acquainted with Willie, our mascot.

On October 20th, the riverside home of Judith and Geoff Caldwell was graciously opened up to host a fund-raiser dinner for the Shakespeare Festival. Following a champagne reception, guests were treated to a five course gourmet dinner, with each dish creatively named after characters in The Taming of the Shrew or Measure for Measure Music was provided by Ottawa’s Impressions in Jazz Orchestra under the leadership of Adrian Cho. Our featured singer was Marisa McIntyre, who television viewers may recognize as one of the finalists from this summer’s CBC show How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? One highlight of the evening was the special song written by Adrian Cho for the occasion, called Shake-speare’s Blues. The wine for the dinner donated by Corby Distilleries, the parent company of Wiser’s Whisky, which of course has such strong historical connections with Prescott. The event helped us to raise over $6000 for the Festival. Thank you to all our supporters for helping to make this such a wonderful evening!

One of the reasons the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Fes-tival continues to be a success is the amazing support we get from our volunteers. Whether lending a hand to sew costumes, sell calen-dars, hand out programmes or stuff envelopes, we benefitted from over 7800 hours of help of 210 volun-teers in 2008. The monetary value of the time, services and in-kind donations we received was a staggering $238,229. Knowing that we have this kind of support from our local community is an excellent tool for the festival when applying for funding from various organizations. We’d like to take an opportunity to say another thank you to our wonderful volunteers with a Volunteer Ap-preciation Evening. If you’ve helped us out at any point in the last year, come and join us on Monday November 24th at the Town Hall Community Room from 5pm. We’ll be serv-ing wine and nibbles as we formally recognize the con-tribution our volunteers make.

Volunteers Margie Barton, Bill Lowthian, Karin Walkey and Tom Van Dusen

Christmas is Coming…

Don’t forget - our 2009 Lottery Calendars make wonderful Christmas gifts! You could make someone very happy if they win $1000 next year!! Or what about giving the gift of a 2009 Season Pass? At only $80, you get to attend our shows as many times as you like and offers the best value for theatre around!

Hang out with the stars of the Shakespeare Festival!

Each year we rely on the kindness of Prescottonians who open up their homes to billet actors for the summer season.

Do you have a basement suite or a spare bedroom in your home? If so, why not consider being one of our hosts next summer?

Actors are very good at looking after themselves—you won’t be asked to cook or clean for them! And by

the end of the summer you will have gained a fascinating insight into what goes on behind the scenes for a production and possibly even gained a lifelong friend!

If you want to find out more information about what exactly is involved, please call us and we’ll be delighted to answer any questions you may have!

Shakespeare Sings the Blues Volunteers - Backbone of the Festival